74 Uses of Riding-Schools. 



XXII. 



Good-morrow, Tom, and how are you, sleek 

 Nelly ? A fine day this for a tramp. Patroclus 

 sniffed you a long way off, and now is happy to 

 rub his nose on Nelly's neck, while she, forsooth, 

 much as she likes the delicate attention, lays back 

 her ears with a touch-me-not expression charac- 

 teristic of the high-bred of her sex. A lucky dog 

 are you to throw your leg across such a dainty 

 bit of blood ! 



You, Tom, are one of numberless young men 

 who want to learn that which they have not the 

 patience to study out of technical books and will 

 hardly acquire in a riding-school ; who, in other 

 words, rather than learn on tan-bark, have pre- 

 ferred to purchase a horse and teach themselves. 

 A man may do well in a school or on a horse 

 hired in a school, and yet not know how to begin 

 the training of a horse which has been only 

 broken in to drive, as most of our American colts 

 are, however eager to improve him for the saddle. 

 Let us compare notes as we saunter along the 

 road. 



Do not understand me to depreciate the value 

 of riding-schools, nor the training which they in- 

 culcate. On the contrary. School-training carried 

 far enough and properly given is just what I do 

 advocate. But between the riding-school and 



